Cool Heads And Warm Hearts

If you've ever struggled making the right decision, you may appreciate
this story:

A young man seemed to take an unusually long time to place his order
at the flower shop. When the clerk asked how she could help, he
explained that his girlfriend was turning 19 and he couldn't decide
whether to give her a dozen roses or 19 roses -- one for each year of
her life.

The woman put aside her business judgment and advised, "She may be
your 19-year-old girlfriend now, but someday she could be your
50-year-old wife."

The young man bought a dozen roses. He made his decision from both his
head and his heart.

Abraham Lincoln has been considered one of the greatest leaders of all
time. He maintained a cool head, even under personal attack. Though
constantly criticized in public, he rarely answered back. "If I were
to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this
shop might as well be closed for any other business," he said. He
showed courage in the face of unjust criticism. He refused to
retaliate and chose instead to quietly do the very best he could.

And Lincoln was also widely known for his compassion. He made
difficult and tough decisions during America's Civil War, but at the
same time showed great leniency. He pardoned more prisoners than any
U. S. president before or since. And when a general asked Lincoln how
the defeated Confederates should be treated, Lincoln replied, "Let 'em
up easy." He was both cool-headed and warm-hearted.

Too many people get it the other way around. They have hot heads and
cold hearts. They react in the heat of anger or passion. They are cold
and unfeeling. And they invariably make poor decisions.

A cool head asks the hard questions. A cool head thinks it through. A
cool head fairly weighs the options and asks, "What is the logical
thing to do?"